Annunciator



vMaly 22 192s. 1,610,629

J. H. McBRlDE ANNuNcIATon Filed' De. 4, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 2 @Wemag APatented May 2.2, 192.8.

UNITED STATES PATENT lora-ica JAMES H. MCBRIDE, F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

' ANNUNcIAron.

Application led December My present invention relates to improvements in annunciators of the type employed upon street railway cars and other vehicles for indicating the approach to the next street or station of the railway. My invention contemplates the use of a reversible web upon which the streets or stations are printed or otherwise applied, the web preferably ment. It will heilig a transparent film of usual forni; intermittently operating means electrically actuated, are employed for advancing the web to display the successive signs or street data; and the winding and unwinding mechanism :for the web is actuated with a friction drive f' from an electric motor, to take up slack,

maintain the web in proper condition for use, and retain the ends of the web on its respective main reels. VThe electrically -operated drive and the electrically operated intermittently actuated means are both controlled from a switch or button that is manipulated by one of the crew of the railway car to successively advance the web as the streets or lstations arepassed.

In connection with the web I employ a projecting apparatus or stereoscope, with the web passing of the apparatus with an intermittent movebe understood that the changeable exhibitor constituting the annunciator may be used to display or announce various kinds of subject mat-ter, but I have herein Ashown and described the invention applied as a street or station indicator for railway cars. Three screens are used for the reception of the data on the web, the main screen that displays the streets or stations tothe passengers on the car being semi-opaque in order that the light rays from the projecting apparatus may pass therethrough and be displayed upon an auxiliary screen or surface locatedin position at the front of the car to be observed by the motorlnan of thel vehicle.v `A third screen or surface is employed lto display an advertisement with each change in the street announcement that may be read lo'y the passengers of the car.

The .invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements ofparts aS will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the hysical embodiment of my invention where- 1n the parts are combined and arranged acbetween the lamp and lens` 4, 1926. 4semi No. 152,573.

coi-ding to the best` mode-I have thus'far devise l for the 'practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical, .longitudinal sec tional View at the front end of a street railway car showing the annunciatorin the elerestory of the car and directing its rays to the front of the car where the screens are located to receive the data projected from the web. 'I i .Figure 2 is an' enlarged, vertical sectional view of the housing or cabinet for theprojecting apparatus which is shown in side elevation and in position tov wind the web on the lower main reel. l i

Figure 3 is a vertical, transverse sectional view of the cabinetl or housing showing one end of the annunciator mechanism with the drive mechanism winding the web on the lower main reel.

Figure 4 is a detail view showing they manually operated lever for reversing the movement of the operating mechanism for the web. "j

Figure 5 is an exterior view showingthe reversing lever for the operating Wheel and the clutch lever-handle for the reverse drive of the winding reels.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of lthe cabinet showing the mechanism as -scen from above.

In order that the general assembly and arrangement of parts may readily be stood I have shown in Figure 1 a ortion of the interior of a standard type ot street railway car C in the front portion of which. car are arranged the three screens or dis-I play surfaces 1, 2, andB. The screen 1 is preferably of semi-opaque material to receive. the street announcement and display it to the passengers in the car, and also to permit passage` of the light rays therethough to the screen 2 which is located' in position where it may be observed by the motorman, who may be thus informed as to the operation of the annunciator and correct errors if necessary. The screen 3 is located below the street screen E?. in position to receive advertisements that are. arranged with the respective street indications on the film or web.

The annuuciator cabinet or housing 4 lis located preferably iir the clercstory of the car, and vent fines 5 and 6 are carried from the :interior of l'the cabinet to the exterior of `theycarfor 1disposing @of heat that may be )generated `within :the cabinet.

The cabinet fashioned with a suitable door '7 through which `,access may be had to the .interior of .the cabinet or housing, and `the web which bears the street indications and advertisements :is designated as 8. The

webis .guided ever-an vupper roller 9 and a lower roller' 'which rollers guide the web in -a vertical plane .in front of the 'electric .lamp 11 `that is .enclosed within the reflector4 nights of the web :are guided and supportedon a number -o'f guide rollers 17 journaled on shafts .disposed 4transversely of the cabinet.

The upper .and 'lower flights of the web are acted `upon by an foperating wheel 18 located back of vthe reflector, standing in a vertical `plane, :and rovided with two series of spurs or rows o pins 19 that engage in `the complementary holes in the film or web.V

The operating wheel is journaled on an axle '20 and is intermittently turned the required distance '5to change the exhibited street through the :action of an electrically controlled solenoid 21 which is energized at the proper Atime vto operate the wheel. The core bar 22 of the solenoid is pivotally connected to a bell crank lever `23 and at the free end of one of the arms of the4 leveris Ipivoted yareversible ratchet or pawl`24 adapted to co-act with the ratchet Vwheel 25 on the axle 20. A reverse lever 26 which is accessible from the exterior of the` cabinet is turned at the end of the line to swing the ratchet on its pivot for opposite engagement with the ratchet wheel in its intermittent operation to move the web or film.

The winding and unwinding movements of the web or `film are accomplished to take up slack and maintain theweb in proper taut positionb means of an intermittently operated electric motor 27 controlled in cirlcuit* with the solenoid 21, A Ventilating fan 28 is provided on `the motor shaft 29 and this shaft carries a drive worm or screw 30 forA co-aetion with the worm wheel 31 disc( posed iny a horizontal plane in the cabinet. a Two clutches 32 and 33 are provided for this wheel 31, one above and one below the `to accommodate the reverse movement of the web or film.

The upper shaft section is fashioned with ower ima beveled friction drive disk 39 and the lower shaft section is provided with asimilar disk 40 for selected or alternate engagement with the upper driven disk 41 and the lower driven disk 42. The larger driven disks are carried on the shafts 43 of the main reels and springs 44 coiled about the shafts and interposed between the respective driven disksL and the reels provide friction means for imparting the rotary winding move ment to the receiving reel as 16 and for perl mitting the deliveringvwheel as 15 to unwind and permit the operating wheel to move the film or web. It will be apparent that after the annunciator has been properly set it is intermittently operated `to change the exhibited or displayed data and this intermittent operation is manually controlled.4 The mechanism is manually reversed at the end of the line or road, and on the return trip the film or web is intermittently moved in reversed direction,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- In a changeable exhibitor, the combination with an image projecting device, a web and its spaced rollers, and an operating wheel at the rear of the rollers adapted to engage the two liights of said web, of a pair of reels at the rear of said wheel for the web ends and a friction drive for each reel7 a motor, a worm screw and worm wheel actuated by the motor, a pair of clutches. for alternate use with said worm wheel, means for shifting the clutches,A and operative connections betweeny said clutehesand said friction drives.

In testimony whereof I affix my si gnature.

JAMES H. MOBRIDE. 

